At a busy Apple virtual event, which was streamed at 3am AEST today, Apple managed to cram a truckload of new products into just a one-hour presentation. The event was again filmed within the Apple Cupertino campus and hosted by Apple CEO Tim Cook.
The first announcements detailed the new purple iPhone 12 and podcast subscriptions (see separate item). The core new offerings are Air Tags, Apple TV, and iMacs and iPad Pros with M1 chips.
You can get the range of new hardware from $3,392. If money is no object you can get the high end versions of these four new products for $6,226.
The other hardware announcements were:
Apple AirTags
Apple has introduced AirTag, a small accessory that helps keep track of and find the items they are attached to with Apple’s Find My app. Whether tethered to a handbag, keys, backpack, or other items, AirTag taps into the global Find My network and can help locate a lost item, all while keeping location data private and anonymous with end-to-end encryption.
AirTag can be purchased in one and four packs for just $45 and $149, respectively, and will be available beginning Friday, April 30. There are also a range of AirTag accessories to hold the new devices. The range includes designs from Hermès including a key ring at $529.
Apple TV 4K 2021
Apple has announced the next generation of Apple TV 4K, delivering high frame rate HDR with Dolby Vision. At the heart of the new Apple TV 4K is the A12 Bionic chip that provides a significant boost in graphics performance, video decoding, and audio processing.
And with an all-new design, the Siri Remote makes it even easier to watch shows and movies on Apple TV with intuitive navigation controls. Together with tvOS Apple TV 4K works seamlessly with Apple devices and services.
Apple TV works with iPhone and its advanced sensors to improve a television’s picture quality. Apple TV uses the light sensor in iPhone to compare the colour balance to the industry-standard specifications used by cinematographers worldwide.
The all-new Siri Remote features an innovative clickpad control that offers five-way navigation for better accuracy, and is also touch-enabled for the fast directional swipes.
The outer ring of the clickpad supports an intuitive circular gesture that turns it into a jog control — perfect for finding a scene in a movie or show.
The new Apple TV can be ordered on April 30 for delivery in the second half of May.
The 32GB version will cost $249, and the 64GB version will be $279.
New 24 inch iMacs with M1 chip
Apple has introduced an all-new iMac featuring a more compact and thin design, enabled by the M1 chip. The new iMac offers more powerful performance in a design that’s just 11.5 millimetres thin, with a side profile that practically disappears. Available in an array of vibrant colours which varies according to price, iMac features a 24-inch 4.5K Retina display with 11.3 million pixels, 500 nits of brightness, and over a billion colours.
The new iMac also includes a 1080p FaceTime HD camera, studio-quality mics, and a six-speaker sound system — the best camera and audio ever in a Mac. Also, Touch ID comes to iMac for the first time.
To compliment the camera, the new iMac features a studio-quality three-microphone array for clearer calls and voice recordings, the best ever in a Mac.
The new iMac also features the best sound system ever in a Mac. It has two pairs of force-cancelling woofers placed side by side for much-improved bass response, while reducing unintended vibrations. Each pair is balanced with a high-performance tweeter. The result is a six-speaker sound system.
The new iMacs can be ordered on April 30 for delivery in the second half of May.
Pricing starts at $1899 for 256GB, up to $2499 for 512GB.
iPad Pro now featuring M1 chip
Apple has announced its most powerful and advanced iPad Pro ever. The addition of the Apple-designed M1 chip delivers a massive leap in performance, making iPad Pro the fastest device of its kind. The 12.9-inch iPad Pro features a new Liquid Retina XDR display that brings extreme dynamic range to iPad Pro, offering a visual experience with more true-to-life details to the most demanding HDR workflows.
Cellular models with 5G deliver even faster wireless connectivity when on the go, and to provide users with pro-level throughput for high-speed accessories, iPad Pro now includes support for Thunderbolt. Additionally, an all-new Ultra Wide front camera enables Centre Stage, a new feature that automatically keeps users perfectly framed for video calls.
The new iPad Pro is available to order beginning Friday, April 30, and will be available in the second half of May.
The new 11-inch display iPad Pro starts at $1199 and the 12.9-inch display starts at $1649.
